Updated 10:35 pm, Wednesday, January 25, 2017

President Donald Trump signed an order Wednesday stripping federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities like Seattle, though exactly what that might mean -- and whether it would have much impact -- is still up in the air.

Trump's order spells out that "jurisdictions that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated by law." To be more specific, Trump aims to withhold federal grant funding from cities and states that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Seattle is among a host of cities that have pledged themselves as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and refugees.

Mayor Ed Murray issued an executive order last Thanksgiving spelling out the city's position on immigrants, primarily one that doesn’t care about resident status for city services and doesn’t devote resources to arresting or holding undocumented immigrants.

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King County has also outlined its position of supporting immigrants and refugees, regardless of status, and officials don't intend to back away from that.

"The bottom line is that King County will remain a safe place for immigrants," said Joe McDermott, King County Council member. He said one executive order -- or even several -- would be hard pressed to roll back all the federal funding that comes to counties and cities.

Still, taking such a pledge is a risk for the city and county, where a not-insignificant chunk of the budget comes from federal coffers each year.

In 2015, out of Seattle’s roughly $4 billion budget, about $85 million wound up coming from the federal government, according to city budget office numbers.

The largest recipient was the city’s Human Services Department, which spent almost $40 million in federal dollars. The Department of Transportation spent $14.8 million and the Office of Housing spent $11.9 million.

Seattle’s police, fire and parks departments, Office of Economic Development, and Seattle Public Utilities also benefited from federal funds.

But cutting all federal funding would be a stretch that isn’t likely to materialize.

For one thing, there is no law against being a “sanctuary city,” even if the fed could say shielding immigrants from deportation is illegal.

Still, that presents another problem. If the state and city refuse to devote resources to arresting all immigrants the White House wants arrested, then the fed would have to use its own people to do the work. That might stretch Trump’s customs and border patrol agents too thin, especially under the hiring freeze he announced Monday.

A Washington Post story posited that Trump could use the courts to force cities’ hands, but there is no precedent for that, so it would prove a long shot at best. A recent ruling regarding Obamacare made it unconstitutional for the federal government to be a “gun to the head” of state and local governments.

So, while the threat may loom large that Trump will sign something declaring Seattle’s sanctuary status illegal, backing that up with real action may not be feasible.